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3g Coverage In Perth, Scotland

MacRonnie
Not applicable
I recently bought a mobile broadband contract with Vodafone to use primarily for personal use at work. My work is in postcode PH1 5PZ, and according to the coverage map has 'very good' 3G signal. However, when I attempt to contact, at best I get a message saying the signal is 'very poor.' Often the MobileConnect software detects no Vodafone 3G signal and instead offers to connet me to Vodafone GPRS. Can you offer any help or advice? I'm attempting to connect to 3G from the ground floor of a 4-storey building.
3 REPLIES 3

Retired-James
Moderator (Retired)
Moderator (Retired)
Hi MacRonnie,

A very warm welcome to the Vodafone eForum from all of the team. :)

I've just taken a look into the area for you and from what i can see, you should be getting good 3G signal however, I can see that there are a few things in your area that could cause interference with the signal meaning that you are running on reduced 3G cover.

To make sure that it isn't anything else that is causing this, please can you answer the following questions;

Has the signal ever been any better or has it always been the same?
Have you tried placing the network selection to 3G only?
Are you able to use 3G in other areas?

If this is fine in other areas and signal has always been the same then it will be down to the building you are in and the surrounding offices that is effecting the signal strength you are getting if it has recently changed let us know and we can look into this further for you.

James
eforum Team

MacRonnie
Not applicable
Hi MacRonnie,

A very warm welcome to the Vodafone eForum from all of the team. :)

I've just taken a look into the area for you and from what i can see, you should be getting good 3G signal however, I can see that there are a few things in your area that could cause interference with the signal meaning that you are running on reduced 3G cover.

To make sure that it isn't anything else that is causing this, please can you answer the following questions;

Has the signal ever been any better or has it always been the same?
Have you tried placing the network selection to 3G only?
Are you able to use 3G in other areas?

If this is fine in other areas and signal has always been the same then it will be down to the building you are in and the surrounding offices that is effecting the signal strength you are getting if it has recently changed let us know and we can look into this further for you.

James
eforum Team


Hi James

Thanks for your reply. Answers to your questions below:

Has the signal ever been any better or has it always been the same? Yes it has been slightly better - last week it was picking up a weak signal. This week I don't even get the option of connecting to Vodafone 3G, only Vodafone GPRS. Interestingly the dongle picks up 3G networks provided by O2, Orange and T-Mobile.
Have you tried placing the network selection to 3G only? How do I do that?
Are you able to use 3G in other areas? Yes I can use 3G in other areas.

Thanks

Ronnie

Retired-Daz_V
Moderator (Retired)
Moderator (Retired)
Hey MacRonnie,

Sounds like a case of poor coverage, sadly, especially if the modem picks up 3G elsewhere without problem. Have you tried outside the doors of your work building? Without getting deep into physics and network engineering, 3G signal vibrates at a higher frequency to is more prone to faster decay - certain building material types (lead piping, for example) will absorb 3G quicker than Bounty does spills! Swithcing to a lower frequency 2G provides stronger signal - this can be done by going to your VMC (Vodafone Mobile Connect) Options/Settings on the dashboard, choosing network, and selecting 2G Only. Likewise, you can try to force the modem into 3G connectivity by selecting 3G Only - might not work, but worth a shot. You can get the latest VMC client from our downloads page - you could try installing this on top of the VMC Lite for greater connectivity options and orbust driver compatibility (not that you're suffering the latter).

Other than this, I suggest using an extender cable to distance the modem from the immediate electromagnetic field of the computer - this might additionally provide some improvement!

Let us know how you get on!


Daz

eForum Team


PS... why not check out our Online Services today for a look at Online Billing? It's a great way to manage your account with us, and so simple :P